To think we are becoming a country of hypochondriacs?

[YellowTulips25]

Firstly, let me preface this by saying that I entirely sympathise with people who have to live with serious long-term medical conditions. I don't wish to downplay illness or disabilities - visible or hidden - at all.

However, does anyone else feel like we're rapidly becoming a country of hypochondriacs, where an increasing number of people let seemingly minor health issues dominate their life?

For example, an article on the BBC this week features a woman who talks about having 'chronic pain, migraines and travel sickness' as reasons why it's impossible for her to work in an office. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp9x0819417o

I think most of us suffer from aches and pains and headaches from time to time? What'd happen if we all started using this excuse?

And I know plenty of friends who always seem to have some ailment or other troubling them, whether it's being in pain, being tired, having a cough or cold, etc etc. It seems almost as if constantly being ill is part of their personality, a badge of honour?

I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but surely I can't be the only one to feel like rolling my eyes at some people's lack of resilience?

This is what happens when you raise snowflakes.

I actually have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (my joints dislocate randomly and I'm hypermobile) along with a few other problems due to it, and I agree with you.

It's because people eat shit, drink shit, don't sleep well and then wonder why they feel shit and rather than address the problem head on look for something else to blame rather than fix their diet.
Obviously not everyone is like this, but the majority yes.

I don’t know if we’re a nation of hypochondriacs but we’re extremely weak willed. You just have to read posts on here from people terrified of their own shadow and name to cope with basic day to day things. I didn’t read the article so I’ve no idea what it said 😂

There's a loss of resilience psychologically for sure but there also seems to be a genuine uptick in physical illness. Perhaps because GPs are so hard to access at an early stage. Perhaps there's something environmental happening.

Absolutely right. People who go to the GP because they have a cold etc. Is it because we were all brought up by parents who said "stop making a fuss", and sent us to school anyway? 😂
I don't think the pandemic helped, because a lot of people in that period began to believe that trivial ailments are serious. The Press (and Government) nonsense fuelled massive over-reaction. I've just read a thread where the OP is getting in a state about "germs" - so sad and unnecessary.

But ask any doctor - most people recover from most things, in time. We all just need to crack on.

Chronic migraines aren’t just a headache though. When I get a migraine I lose my vision, I forcefully vomit. I black out. I get disorientated - some people have thought I’m drunk! I’m lucky enough that I’m self employed so I can work around them, but dismissing them as just a headache is not fair, and some people absolutely wouldn’t be able to work with them.

Pre internet I got hold of a medical dictionary, within half an hour I had self diagnosed half a dozen ( possible exaggeration) illnesses I definitely had.

Now, with the internet, it would be way more.

I think most of us suffer from aches and pains and headaches from time to time?

Right.. what does that have to do with someone with chronic migraines?

Maybe you're right about this woman, but you say you have no wish to downplay illnesses, and then say the above about migraines and chronic pain.

Covid broke society, people seem to expect the government / council to be responsible for every part of their life. People no longer rely on friends or family for help, but the government.

We are definitely heading to a bad place when it comes to sickness / mental health causing people to be off work. You just need to look at the graphs. Even Rachel Reeves, who is probably going to be the most sympathetic person in politics to these people has had enough.

There will be huge reform and sadly the people who genuinely need the help will be the ones who suffer the most.

I relate it to whiplash in car accidents. Likely a real condition that effected people, then the piss takers got in, and now its nigh on impossible to claim.

If she's able to work by WFH in spite of poor health (migraines affect the whole body, not just the head and can leave a sufferer exhausted) all credit to her. WFH has kept many many more people in work than would otherwise have been conceivable in the pre-WFH days.

Yes there is an element of society who do need to build up more resilience who probably have the exact same diagnoses as this lady and DONT work but let's not insult those with debilitating conditions who do all the can and still manage to remain employed.

Oh come on, people are dramatic. They say they "have a migraine" when they have a headache, it "they've got the flu" when they just have a cold.

I'd she had chronic migraines, she wouldn't be able to work whether at home or not.

As for travel sickness... Don't apply for jobs where you are having to travel. Or take medicine.

Not true, I’ve just said I can work with chronic migraines that have some horrendous symptoms, because I’m self employed. I’d she’s able to work flexibly, she may be able to too.

I'd agree with you in some respects OP, I know several that would fall to the floor with mildest hint of a cold.

However, chronic migraines are not just a headache. They are horrendous.

Migraine for me has effects more akin to a stroke than a headache. It would be rash in the extreme to try to get to work during one, and pointless.

Fortunately, mine are only every few months.

I'm not sure that woman is a prime example of hypochondria, really.

Society's not broken round these parts

When something becomes chronic you learn to work and live around it, if you don't your life is over.

As a society, I think we’ve come to medicalise ordinary feelings and responses to events far too much, to some extent. I don’t think that’s necessarily the general public’s fault entirely. There’s a lot of money to be made from the medicalisation of ordinary ailments and emotions. Supplements, vitamin drinks, so-called natural pain remedies, private prescriptions; self help books, life coaches, counselling, meditation, wellbeing therapies.

It’s to the benefit of the people who trade in all of this to encourage more people to believe that not feeling great physically, or poor behaviours, or the way they’re feeling must be because of a hidden disability, or neurodiversity, or abnormal discomfort that absolutely needs medicating, or childhood attachment problems, or hidden trauma, or emotional damage or mental illness that they need to spend years in expensive therapy or coaching for; rather than just the ordinary everyday viruses and ailments, anxiety or sadness (or laziness) that we all experience from time to time. Thus I don’t totally blame the people who’ve been taken in by it. It’s easier to convince yourself that you’re unwell or damaged than to take responsibility for yourself and your health sometimes, especially when there are so many people motivated to help you believe it.

Completely agree OP, and unfortunately the knock on effect is it makes it harder for people with genuine disabilities to get help or be taken seriously. Same for mental health as well when people say they are depressed or anxious but are actually just feeling a normal range of emotions and don’t have actual mental health problems.

Living with chronic pain is hell, imagine thinking its the same as having aches and owing. This is ranked up there with telling ME patients that " we all get tired"
I'm glad that don't suffer with migraines, do you think someone can just suck it up and carry on working through it?

I think we are generally an unwell population, we live sedentary lives and our diets are very poor. It's no wonder we feel shit and indeed have all manner of health issues.

I don't think people are hypochondriacs, but I do think we've lost the ability to perform basic home medicine and first aid. How many times at A&E do we see people who could have managed their injuries at home. Or on here, people are told to take their kids in "for a precaution" because we don't have the skills and confidence anymore to observe and act if the situation deteriorates.

Absolutely! And everything is "chronic" these days, chronic pain, chronic migraines, chronic coughs and sneezes.

I do agree with another poster as well that a lot is probably lifestyle related - people not eating healthily enough/doing enough exercise etc. I have one friend who always seems to be in pain, yet she spends most her free time sat on her sofa watching telly and rarely goes outside even when the weather's sunny. Maybe it's just coincidence, but I can't help but feel the two things are probably connected in some way.